After finishing his phone call with his mother, Ethan thought back to those bright, lively eyes and smiled to himself.

He was getting closer to his moon.

That evening, Ivy received a message informing her to return to the Collins family home for dinner.

As she stepped out of the taxi and walked toward the entrance, she noticed a young woman pacing back and forth outside the Collins residence.

“Is this Richard’s home?” The woman had a delicate, pleasant face.

Ivy was taken aback. “Are you looking for my dad?”

“Your dad?” The woman’s expression became complicated. “So, you’re Ivy?”

The woman appeared to be around Ivy's age, with subtle signs of plastic surgery on her nose and eyes, carrying a luxury crocodile leather bag—clearly expensive—but her clothes were relatively modest.

Ivy had never met this person before, yet she seemed to know who Ivy was.

“Who are you?” Ivy asked, her surprise evident.

The woman gave Ivy a quick, appraising glance, and a flicker of jealousy and resentment appeared in her eyes.

She scoffed, speaking slowly and deliberately, “You’ll find out soon enough. Be ready for the retribution that’s coming to you.”

With those cryptic words, the woman shot one last resentful glance at the Collins family mansion before walking away, clearly unwilling to leave.

Ivy could still feel the hostility radiating from the woman. ‘Who is she? How does she know my family?’ She seemed to harbor deep resentment toward Ivy, but Ivy couldn’t recall ever crossing paths with someone like her.

Shaking her head in confusion, Ivy made her way inside the Collins home.

As expected, Richard and Susan were doting on their son, Julian Collins.

He had probably just come back from street racing, still dressed in his racing gear. Richard and Susan were pleading with him to be more careful, but Julian was obviously irritated. The moment he spotted Ivy, he pointed at her and exclaimed, “It was Ivy who taught me how to race! She even had her friends lend me their car!”

Ivy was dumbfounded.

She hadn’t done any of that. Julian was clearly making things up.

But her parents immediately believed him. Richard grabbed Ivy by the hair, his face twisted with anger. “What kind of sister are you? Are you trying to get your brother killed?”

Seeing Ivy being scolded, Julian smirked triumphantly.

Even when he was younger, Julian had realized that he was the most important person in the Collins family. Whenever he made a mistake, he just had to blame it on Ivy, and their parents would always side with him, regardless of the truth.

During dinner, Richard turned to Ivy with a cold glare. “Tomorrow, you’ll quit your job at the TV station, and you will not go out without my permission.”

Ivy forced a bitter smile.

Her parents wanted to control her every move, even her personal freedom. Were they afraid she would back out of marrying William, that playboy?

Ivy took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice calm. “That’s not possible right now.”

Before Richard could respond, Ivy’s phone rang.

It was her supervisor from the TV station. Ivy answered the call and put it on speaker.

“Ivy, please put your current interview on hold. This Friday, I need you to come with me to interview CE Group’s Mr. Lancaster.”

The moment Richard heard the name “Mr. Lancaster”, his eyes lit up with excitement, and he turned to Ivy.

After Ivy hung up, Richard immediately spoke in a commanding tone, “Hold off on quitting. Dress up nicely on Friday. Make sure Mr. Lancaster remembers you.”

“Make sure you mention that you’re from the Collins family. Our company is looking to expand into new industries, and partnering with CE Group is our best option.”

Ivy lowered her gaze, hiding the mocking glint in her eyes, and replied quietly, “I’ll do my best.”

Richard finally smiled and pushed a dessert toward her. “I remember this is your favorite. Eat up.”

Ivy stared down at the dessert, her face expressionless as she took a bite.

She didn’t like sweets. She never had, not even as a child.

*****

After dinner, Ivy made her way to the door, ready to leave.

Susan frowned. “You’re not staying the night?”

Ivy smiled lightly. “My teacher just sent over some materials. I need to go discuss the details for the interview with Mr. Lancaster.”

“Alright, go.”

Ivy changed her shoes and stepped out of the mansion, and the smile on her face faded.

The summer night was stiflingly hot, and it took a while for Ivy to hail a taxi.

As the driver started the car, he glanced at the grand Collins family mansion and asked, “Living in a house like that, don’t you have a driver to take you?”

Ivy, exhausted from pretending all day, replied flatly, “That’s not my home.”

She had long since lost her home.

Ivy returned to her rented apartment - a cozy two-bedroom place, around 800 square feet. Not huge, but comfortable.

Sitting on the couch, she pulled out her laptop to check the materials her supervisor had sent.

Ethan, the Executive Director of CE Group. The company had diverse business interests, with Ethan as the key decision-maker. His net worth was easily in the billions.

Ivy's gaze fixed on his photo in the documents.

Ethan was strikingly handsome, his eyes especially captivating.

Once again, she couldn't help thinking about the man from the masquerade ball.

Damn, why did she keep connecting Ethan with that man? Could they possibly be related somehow?

Maybe the upcoming interview would hold the answer.

Ivy suddenly found herself looking forward to interviewing Ethan, her heart racing with anticipation.